HARRISBURG, June 14, 2012 — An additional 34 acres of Berks County farmland will be preserved through the purchase of conservation easements valued at $85,250 dollars that were approved today by the Pennsylvania Agricultural Land Preservation Board, according to state Sen. Judy Schwank, a Preservation Board member.
According to the senator, the following farm will be preserved:
Family Municipality Acres Preserved
Frank and Carol Szarko Oley Township 34.10
“Agriculture is a significant economic driver in Berks County,” Schwank said. “Farmland conservation easements ensure that the land is protected so that we can continue to provide goods and preserve our county’s number one industry.”
Statewide, 4,293 farms totaling 463,595 acres have been preserved since the program’s inception. In Berks County 637 farms consisting of 64,495 acres have been preserved. Berks County has preserved more acreage of farmland than any other county in the state program.
The Agricultural Land Preservation Board is intended to permanently preserve large clusters of viable agricultural lands by acquiring agricultural conservation easements (ACE). An ACE prevents the development of the land for any purpose besides productive agriculture.
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